Adam Johnson six years on from prison release: Plan to leave UK and 'appeal to clubs'

Shamed footballer Adam Johnson remains without a club, six years after his release from prison. Now 37, Johnson played for Middlesbrough, Manchester City and boyhood club Sunderland before his career came crashing down in disgrace.

The Black Cats terminated his contract after he admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old child and grooming. As a result, Johnson received a six-year prison sentence in 2016. He was also convicted of another offence involving sexual activity with a child and found not guilty of a second charge of the same offence. Johnson spent three years behind bars before being released on licence, having served half of his initial sentence, leaving prison on March 22, 2019.

Following Johnson's sentence in 2016, then-PFA chief Gordon Taylor was blunt about the former Manchester City and Middlesbrough winger's chances of reviving his professional football career.

"I feel that prospect is, to say the least, very remote, if at all," Taylor told BBC Five Live. "It's not unexpected. The judge had said it was a very serious issue and he would be away for quite some time. Six years is not unexpected. Our thoughts are very much with the victim in this matter."

Johnson's sister Faye was quoted in the Mirror, telling a friend about his hopes of resuming his career. She said: "He was going to write an open letter to all the clubs explaining why he can benefit them if they give him another chance. Genuinely thought he was joking when he told me but he was deadly serious."

However, the Daily Mail revealed that League One and League Two clubs near Johnson's home in County Durham had ruled out signing him. The fallen player then sold his Castle Eden home for £1.7million in 2022.

Upon his release in 2019, Johnson issued an apology: "I am very sorry for the effect my conduct had on those, directly and indirectly, involved. It should never have happened and I deeply regret what I did. I now want to concentrate on the future and want to demonstrate through my actions that I am committed to repaying them for their support."

In 2021, The Sun reported that Johnson, who earned 12 caps for England between 2010 and 2012, was considering a move abroad. It also emerged he had reconciled with his ex-partner, Stacey Flounders, with the pair welcoming their second child into the world.

At the time, there were suggestions that an international move could reignite his career, but his conviction's nature rendered such a move virtually impossible as he must still inform the police of any plans to travel abroad. Many countries require disclosure of past convictions for those seeking employment.

As the Mirror reported in 2019, potential transfers to China, the Middle East, the US or Australia were ruled out. Now in his late 30s, it appears unlikely that Johnson will return to the pro game.